A demonic admiration
by purple devil 87
Summary: Sherwin had always been gay but never expected to die for it. He also didn't expect it to be his own parents who would kill him. But even after his death he still found love in the most confusing of mistakes ever made.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

On one hand, Sherwin had not expected to end things the way he did. He knew people hated him just for who his heart chose, but death? That was out of the question. Yet the fact it was from his own parents made it feel like betrayal. In the end it wasn't worth the hassle though to kill him. It seemed the afterlife was just so…so boring It never ended up being as torturous as it was made out to be.

He was standing in a line of people in a hallway dotted here and there with potted plants, which turned out to be plastic, on closer examination. In front of him stood an old Asian lady wearing a ratty shawl and no shoes, and behind him an eight-year-old boy, he presumed, who somehow managed to look even thinner than himself.

The place was also windowless, which made it all the more monotone. Once in a while, the line would shuffle forward, but that was seldom, and it was the only part of the long wait that was even slightly exciting.

Maybe this was purgatory, Sherwin reflected. He really hoped it was, because this most certainly wasn't Heaven. Even when he tried to speak to the woman in front of him, he was ignored. He then turned to the boy behind him, but likewise got no reaction. They either didn't speak his language, or more likely were completely oblivious to him even being there. Or maybe not, but they may have been lost in their own minds, and it was impolite and somewhat creepy to continue insisting anyhow.

So the boy waited in line, left with his own thoughts. He was worried, of course. Who knew what his fate would be, with all the things that had been wrong or maybe sinful in his short life, and whether they were outweighed by the good he hoped he had done. Would the way he had died impact his judgement? Well, he wouldn't know until he was told, one way or another.

He examined himself. He had no mirror on him, so he wasn't sure how his face looked like, but he could tell he had died in his school uniform. Some bruises were apparent on his stomach when he pulled his shirt up, but they didn't seem as serious as he thought they would. The more alarming thing though was the large stab wound in his stomach from where the knife went in. The edge of his shirt had blood coating it but that was the least of his worries. His face didn't seem to be too bad off, no swelling from what he could tell. Well, that was a small comfort.

There was nothing to inform him of the passing the time, however, so things seemed to drag on for an eternity, which was probably the case, if he were to be honest with himself. That was the thing about purgatory, it was designed to be boring. Instead, he counted the number of potted plants that he passed by, wanting to keep some sort of measure of time, no matter how frivolous it was.

What Sherwin hadn't planned, however, was for this place to not actually be purgatory at all. To his surprise, he could see an end to the corridor, if he peeked his head around the old lady's shoulder. People at the front of the line seemed to be waiting in front of what looked like an office door, the glass pane fitted in the eighties-style door a common sight in the school Sherwin had been going to until recently. Maybe this was judgement? A place where he was evaluated, and sent to heaven or hell depending on his performance?

The thought made him beyond nervous. There were so many sins out there, there were some that were unpreventable, others that no one around him focussed on, and of course the ones he couldn't quite remember, even in this state of panic he was now in. Time, deciding it was the moment to speed things up, brought Sherwin face to face with the office door before he even knew it. He hadn't even noticed the lady, nor any of the other people that were in front of him, in fact, go through the door. Paralysed by fear, he remained motionless, save for his lips, frantically whispering a garbled prayer. Halfway through his prayer, the door opened, and a disapproving voice interrupted Sherwin. "Nothing of the kind will save you now, son."In that moment, the redhead wanted to run, to run as far away from the voice as he could. He wouldn't have been able to explain the sensation, because it was by nature like so, indescribable, as was his sudden and unexplainable urge to step forward through the door.

The door had not been lying. Instead of the expected fireballs or frozen over lake, beyond the old rattly frame was an office, as boring as the hallway that he had walked down. Even if there was something amiss in the room, he probably wouldn't have been able to see it straight away, not with the figure currently occupying his full attention, his very presence sucking all attention to him. So, this was the devil. Looking at him, one could simply tell this was Lucifer, with yet again that weird brain probing feeling that forced one to think of the name unprompted. He had an aura, a charismatic one, and in appearance was quite normal. Almost human esque. Hair as bright as Sherwin's, face gaunt yet still attractive, and no wings or tail to be seen.

Sherwin, as timid as he had always been, hesitated quite a while before sitting in the chair that the man pointed at. Had every single person who had ever died sat in this chair? With a shiver, he lowered himself onto the plastic and metal frame. "It's not lucifer its Mephistopheles" "What?" "Most people tend to think i'm Lucifer but the names really Mephistopheles. Lucifer is actually someone else who works in our H.R. department." wait! Did he just read his mind?

"Yeah I did," he confirmed, smirking all the while. Sherwin gave an incredulous look." Anyway let's see...Sherwin Payne, violent death, pretty clear record… a little bit of lust and envy, but…that's just natural sibling rivalry. Hmm…"He poured over a file set out before him, which no matter how hard he focussed, Sherwin couldn't read. The words were playing around the paper like snakes, and the small window that would have contained his photo alternated between him in his uniform, as a baby, and his current nerdy teenager look. "Interesting… I don't see any major sins that would have brought you here… In fact, with your credentials, you could have easily been promoted to angel by providence… Ah well, must be a mistake, what with all the renovations it makes sense."Whatever he was saying, Sherwin couldn't make sense of it. "A mistake? But… I mean… I just assumed I'd be here anyway, even if I am good and all, I'm still-"

He stopped, swallowing nervously. "-gay." He managed to squeak it out triumphantly overcoming the nervous feeling he had. For the first time since he had entered the office, Mephistopheles looked up from the file set out in front of him. Suddenly, he laughed."Good one, kid! Sexuality was never a sin. Jeez It's the 21 century. I mean we've revamped our standards by now. Anyway that reminds me..."

Mephistopheles stood up. He wasn't any taller or impressive as any other human man that Sherwin had met, but when he got closer, heading to the door behind the boy, he seemed to tower over him, his shadow somehow casting him into darkness that could have been mistaken for dusk if the room had had any windows, that is. The neon lights buzzing overhead shouldn't have had that effect.

Mephistopheles put his hand on the door handle and turned it, pulling it up rather than pushing it down. The glass went from frosted to clear, the similar neon lighting of the hallway changing to what could only be the flicker of flames. "This is a mess," he commented, probably more to himself than to Sherwin. "The bureaucrats and the murderers are at it again." He had been stroking his auburn goatee thoughtfully, before he snapped his fingers, the sound so loud that it startled Sherwin. With a grin, he turned back to his visitor, pushing the handle back in its original position before Sherwin could get a look at what was happening beyond the glass."I think I understand the problem now. It just so happens that the bureaucrats are not quite as concentrated as they should be these days, they probably just messed up your paperwork." As Sherwin's heart sank, Mephistopheles eyes became darker, and his grin wider. "Isn't there… Well… A way to get it fixed?" Sherwin asked. His voice was so small that he doubted the man had heard him. Mephistopheles didn't answer, but instead swept past him to sit back at his desk.

"No. Now that you're here heaven would think you were corrupted."

He couldn't help it. He had been so close, had died for something that wasn't even a sin (if Mephistopheles was to be trusted in that respect), and was now stuck in Well…Hell. It wasn't something that he was going to take very well no matter the circumstances, but… This wasn't fair. Of course, the thought passed his mind that this could all be a huge trick.

"Now enough chit-chat, I need to get that case file for you…" There was a drawer at the back of the room, an old fashioned, rattly thing that reminded Sherwin all too much of the one in which his adoption file had been in. Why potential foster parents had to know every single detail about the kid from the second they were taken into the system, he did not know. Miserably, he wondered if his homosexuality would have been recorded in the same plain file, if ever he had somehow survived the battering that he had been subjected to.

"Probably," Mephistopheles answered, which made Sherwin jump and try to quiet his thoughts. Mephistopheles returned to the task that was retrieving the case file he had been looking for. With a flick of his wrist, he pulled on the drawer handle, the whole thing rolling out on its rails way further than any other drawer would."Ah, I knew it wasn't too deep in," he exclaimed, pulling another yellow file out. "Well, I guess I do consult this a lot."

The redhead's file was soon covered and hidden under the one that the man had pulled out. With deft hands, looking like white spiders to the boy, he flicked through the pages, pulling one out and handing it to Sherwin."Now this demonary position I'm going to give you is very important. Your assignment is Jonathan Sharma. Your job is to make him commit suicide. You may haunt, torment, pester or do anything necessary to achieve this. You get weekends off though so it's not all work. Even though you don't belong here you still get the job because surprisingly we just don't seem to have enough demons. Now, off you go."

Sherwin felt his stomach rise to his mouth, his whole body floating for a second or so, before the scene brusquely changed and he fell to the floor. He was now on a small street that he didn't recognise. He was about to freak out, when he looked at his hand holding the paper. It was milky and transparent. He got up, took a step back, but he was floating. Some higher power had to be on his side. Maybe. Or the Devil. Nevertheless, he was safe. With trembling hands, he started to read his assignment.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:  
Jonathan looked familiar. Hadn't he seen him around his school? It felt wrong to kill someone he knew even if they were just an acquaintance. He felt funny, almost giddy seeing his picture. He didn't know why, but maybe it was something about his eyes or his smile that just drew him in.

Sherwin looked about. To his right he saw a small bus stop. Calmly he walked over and sat down. After a moment he saw Jonathan round the corner just as the school bus pulled up. He still was wearing his uniform from when he died so it didn't look terribly out of place at the stop with the other kids. He boarded the bus and sat down in the seat across the isle from Jonathan. Jonathan looked over eyeing the odd bloodstains dotting the edge of his shirt and made a questioning face, but thought nothing of it assuming it to be the work of a foul nosebleed,or something of that nature. Ignoring the weird kid he pulled out a book and began to read and absorbed himself with it.

"Hey kid." Sherwin turned to see mephistopheles looking at him "wha- how did you?" he goggled at him, his face painted with a look of incredulity "What? Ohhh!" after a brief moment it clicked. "You're wondering how got I on the bus? It would take too long to explain." "Can he see you?" Sherwin asked perplexed. "Nope." Mephistopheles answered with complete sure-ness "He can see you though, and you look like you're talking to yourself." "No! He's absorbed in his book!" Sherwin retorted. He turned looking at Jonathan to check this fact who then looked up and smiled and waved at him sending a tingle through Sherwin. He turned back "Wha-" but Mephistopheles was gone and in his place was a small school bag. Well at least a school bag would make him look more normal and possibly- hopefully detract from his bloody shirt. Sherwin set his gaze on Jonathan for the rest of the ride hoping he could figure out how to kill him.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

The day passed with relative ease and Sherwin followed Jonathan around from class to class acting a clumsy as usual. During first period he leaned over in his seat looking at what Jonathan was working on and tipped it over making Jonathan laugh. The rest of the class turned to face him and gave questioning looks. Why were they looking all at him? Couldn't they see it was that weird kid? A few of the other kids whispered to each other and snickered.

During lunch it wasn't any better. Sherwin sat down at the lunch table next to Jonathan who was sitting all alone and smiled nervously, but Jonathan just narrowed his eyes at him and scooted to the far end of the table away from Sherwin and turned his back to him and kept reading his book. Sherwin sighed. This wasn't going too well. If this was Jonathan's first impression then he was worried how he would kill him.

P.E. was slightly better (depending on how you saw it.) They were playing basketball. Sherwin was used to this. Jonathan looked around looking for someone to pass to. Noticing Sherwin he hurled the ball towards him in a fit of pure annoyance but it sailed straight through him, glowing a bit around the edge as it went through. Jonathans dark complexion turned a paler shade as he realised what happened. No it had to be a trick of the light. H-he was probably seeing things. It couldn't have gone right through him. Or could it have? He had no time to contemplate this though as the other kids ran past him tripping him and mistook his look of sheer horror for embarrassment and laughed. One of the older kids taunted him "Who tosses balls to dead air?" "Weird ass." another one of the kids muttered. "Didn't you guys see that?" Jonathan exclaimed, his voice excited and a bit nervous. "See what? How you fucking threw the ball across the gym?" The other kids laughed. Jonathan looked at Sherwin his gaze unsettled and questioning. Something was up, but they just couldn't see it.

As Jonathan got off the bus Sock got off too trailing behind him "What do you want?"

Jonathan kept his guard up defensively. He felt unnerved Why would this random kid with blood splatters around the edge of his shirt be following him. "I uh- i-i'm a demon and i'm here to haunt you? Okay that was bad I sound really creepy. Uhhh-" The door slammed in his face "Shit." Sherwin muttered. He felt his heart drop.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Sherwin met him at the bus stop again the next day and Jonathan scooted away from him on the bench, still wary of him and his odd behaviour. Sherwin smiled at him and in return got a squinty eyed glance. His heart felt like it dropped even lower than when he confronted him after school the other day. By now it had to be in the toilet.

Sherwin sat down next to Jonathan at lunch again. Jonathan glanced over at him and spoke " Will you please-" he was interrupted as a group of older kids walked past his table. "Oh good the weird ass is sitting alone!" Alone. The word hit him like a blow. "They can't see you can they?" Jonathan felt something inside of him soften. "Nope." It finally clicked. "It took this long to figure it out?!" Sherwin laughed "God your hopeless." "So you really are a ghost." "Demon actually." Sherwin corrected

That day after school Jonathan felt different. "I don't think I ever got your name." "Its Sherwin."

As soon as Jonathan got into his house he freaked. "I just realised I can get into your house whenever I want." Sherwin said as he morphed through the wall into his house.


	5. Chapter 5

At school though things had gotten worse. The taunting and teasing had gotten bad and turned into physical bullying. He never tried to upset Sherwin by telling him but he always seemed to notice how his figure had gotten thinner from days without food and how the boy he alway knew as put together looked well...less put together. He felt bad about it all but he knew it was just his job.

The days went on and Sherwin grew to be good friends with Jonathan. Every so often Mephistopheles would pop in and see how things where going, but it was mainly it was just the two of them. Sherwin would give Jonathan lighthearted remarks about how he should kill himself, but they went unnoticed. He had weekends off though so he always spent them mainly with Jonathan.

It was warm and balmy and there was only a slight breeze. School had let out and the weekend had approached. It was the perfect time to do something together and he had something to get off his chest. "Can I show you something?" Jonathan asked. "Sure." Sherwin agreed. Jonathan led Sherwin past the school and through the streets past buildings and parks till they got to a fence at the edge of town. One of the boards was loose and Jonathan swung it upwards making room for him to pass through. Sherwin just morphed straight through the fence still following Jonathan. He followed him through a grassy meadow at the edge of the town near the forest to a small tree in the middle of the meadow of overgrown grasses and dandelions.

"I come here often just to think or clear my mind. I like it here. What do you think?" Jonathan asked. "It's perfect. Is this spot for the both of us?" "I guess it now is." Sherwin felt something bottled up inside of him and he knew it had always been true. So in a act of raw carnal exposure: "I love you." It was just three simple words, but if they were the right words was a question Sherwin asked as he felt panic consume him. He didn't even know if he too was gay like him, or even liked him. He knew he must have said the wrong thing, He- "I love you too Sherwin." The swirling thoughts in his brain came to a resounding halt. Sherwin blushed as he felt Jonathan take his hands and just simply hold them. It was the easiest intimate action possible to sum up all of his feelings for him. And they just sat there holding hands watching the birds fly by, watching the wind blow round the dandelion tufts, Just simply watching the world happen.

But the moment didn't last long. Sherwin felt dread incase him. This was the boy he was supposed to kill! He knew Mephistopheles wouldn't like it that he had fallen in love with him. He felt a tear dribble down his cheek. Jonathan looked over. "What's wrong?" "Just kill yourself. I-it would make things...easier." The words came out choppy and choked up. Jonathan wiped the tear off his face as he cupped it in his hands making Sherwin stare at him. "You know I would never do that." But it was a blatant lie. Even Sherwin could tell his voice warbled a bit as he said so. The difference in his voice was enough to let him know he felt vulnerable and had been considering it. Something he both dreaded and wanted. Neither of them spoke but they both knew the reality of the situation weighed on them making them feel half-hearted. They sat there, the silence deafening, as they were consumed by the ever present and looming idea of death. The tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife.

The balmy-ness of the day began to recede as the sun set and reminded them of the bitter cold as the wind picked up. They got up hand in hand and began to trek back to Jonathan's house.

Jonathan sat on the edge of the closed toilet gripping the craft knife. Tears welled in his eyes. He didn't deserve to love Sherwin. Why should he any ways. He would forever be stuck at age 14 but Jonathan would grow up. It just wasn't viable.

The kids at school where right, he was just a weird ass. He couldn't do it anymore. First it was the fact he loved Sherwin. Then having to kill himself. Altogether it weighed on him. But it was the kind of weight that hurt only emotionally. He cried watching the tears fall between his legs and hit the cold porcelain lid of the toilet. He ejected the blade from its casing and held it to his arm. The cold blade dug into his soft flesh and left a large cut along his wrist. It stung, but he didn't mind. The pain was welcomed. It was a distraction from all that weighed on him and it gave him a more physical pain he could control. Control though was something he seldom had over his life and he would take any he got no matter how sick it was. The blood from the cut slowly dribbled down his arm. He stared at it, his breathing shallow. Tears poured from his eyes and he silently wept. What had his life come to?

Sherwin sat on the edge of Jonathan's bed watching him sleep. Ever since they got home Jonathan had been quiet. Too quiet. He had heard him earlier in the bathroom…crying? This wasn't the Jonathan he knew. He was usually the worried one not the other way around.

Jonathan shifted and moved his arm into Sherwins line of vision. His sleeve had wrinkled upwards a bit as his arm pressed against the bed. A scar was apparent on his wrist. Sherwin noticed and pulled up his sleeve to get a closer look. He furrowed his brow a bit. There was some blood crusted around it and it looked pink and fresh. Sherwin traced over the scar on his wrist with his thumb. He couldn't be cutting himself...or could he?

Sherwins eyes briefly flicked over the drawers to Jonathans nightstand and then locked in on a glint of silver dotted with something from one that was slightly ajar. Should he look? Nah. Probably better not to right? It was never polite to be intrusive and go through people's things, yet on the other hand- Oh who was he kidding! If he cared enough about him then wouldn't he have to look? He opened the drawer weighing his options and saw a craft knife. There was some blood dried on the casing, and under further inspection some on the blade too when he ejected it from the device. His eyes crinkled with worry, disappointment, and a bit of shame. He could feel the tears prick the back of his eyelids. He set the knife in the drawer and shut it. It was late and he couldn't think straight. The information about the knife didn't help either. He would just figure it out in the morning.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:  
It was barely even 7:00 but he awoke. He really wasn't even asleep. His body just did this weird thing where he zoned out and rested his mind for a few hours. He could go without it, but it felt nice to relax for a bit and just forget about the traumatic information from last night.

He got up from where he was sitting on the bed. "Hey!" Sherwin turned and let out a startled yelp as he faced Mephistopheles. "Don't do that, i'll wake Jonathan." He hated how Mephistopheles would always creep up on him when he least expected it. "What? You care about the guy now?" Sherwin didn't answer. "So how long has it been? A month, a day, a week?" "I- ah-" He cut him off before he could even respond."Just forget it. The concept of time is something you people made up that I really don't comprehend." "oh." "Anyway the point is I hadn't expected it to last longer than a multi chapter fanfic." "A what?" "Nevermind that. So, you're really taking a while with this one." "I-well- i-it's been hard." "So your not cut out for it? I could easily send you back to hell and give you some other more menial task. Considering everything, demons have it better than some out there."  
"No, it's not that."

"So what, your stalling because you like the guy?" Sherwin hung his head in embarrassment. Mephistopheles probably knew it by now, besides he was always quick to catch on. "It's much more than that." Sherwin confirmed "Ohh no, you don't mean to tell me..." he furrowed his brow in anger and looked at Sherwin disapprovingly. Sherwin just nodded his head limply. What more could he say? "Shit!" he muttered. "I know I said sexuality isn't a problem but if it's interfering in our business then it certainly is." His eyes darkened menacingly going from a golden hue to a demonic and fiery dark red." I'm giving you one last chance Sherwin Payne. Either you make him do it or you'll really see what hell is. Oh and no funny business either."  
Sherwin's heart ached. It felt as if it had been torn to shreds.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Even though Mephistopheles had very limited understanding of time, or at least in the way mortals measured its passage, he still knew he hadn't been to this particular piece of nether space for a rather long time. He could, of course, have just summoned the object he was looking for to him without leaving the office, but he wanted to come here. He wanted to find that piece that could fill the missing gap inside of him. Sherwin seemed to remind him of how it was to be young, and free, and in love. He had hated love. It seemed to weaken the mind. So trying to keep true to his morals he let eons pass, and the wounds across, his back and his heart were still raw, but maybe today things would change and she could help him.

He reached into his suit pocket, retrieving a steel key, rusty and dented, but still usable. He turned to face the abyss and, with the steadfast assurance of one who had performed this act many times before, he stepped out into the void. He fell, feeling the lurch in his gut and the rush of repressed images once again, but it wasn't very far. See, the thing about gravity on the cosmic plane is, quite simply, it doesn't really exist. It's all a matter of mental notions of up and down.

Landing on the path, he smiled at the door. Of all the doors he could have chosen…

A small, white painted, wooden door. Its frame` the deep shade of plum _she_ had always liked. He waited a long few seconds, a tiny eternity, before turning the key in the lock. The brass handle turned and the room beyond was bathed in the peculiar half-light of the void. He strode inside, surveying it, judging it.

A battered armchair beckoned, its scuffed leather upholstery ready to welcome him back. He walked past it, searching through the piles of detritus he had accumulated over the centuries. There it was, gathering dust in between two pillars of novels.

It was a dusting of her. Mephistopheles drew a bow across the strings. The violin sang, venting frustration in a wave of melancholic music. He played on, the lyrics pouring from his lips as the violin's soft music picked up speed and volume.

He smiled sadly, reminiscing over her. The one with hair as dark as the midnight sky. Her eyes, seeming to hold all the stars of the cosmos. He remembered the days they had spent drawing up elaborate blueprints for her grand creation. Those plans had all gone awry when she made several last minute additions. She had always been spontaneous like that. She had taken a perfectly good ape and decided it needed a rapid kick towards sentience. If She'd just taken time to rework the plan she would have seen that for such a move to be viable, it have would needed so much longer to craft itself. As it stood, she was left with a race of gibbering wrecks. He had tried to warn her, but she in all her stubbornness, wasn't ready to hear it.

She had always had that weakness. She loved to claim omniscience, but her all-seeing eyes were blind to flaws in her own creation. One particular flaw named Sherwin infact. "You know, Meph, I do regret what I did." The voice emerged, beckoned by the sound of the violin. His eyes widened a bit wrinkling at the corners. A grudge couldn't last forever she had to own up to it sooner or later. "Well, can't take it back now, can you?" "No… You're right, I can't. But would you at least have the courtesy of facing me?" Providence asked sweetly. "Why? So you don't have to be reminded of what's missing from this picture?" He retorted. "Ouch. That Hurts…" Providence cringed inwardly. "Not nearly as much as that knife did." "…Fair point." Providence agreed

Mephistopheles slumped into the armchair. He needed a break. She came up behind him putting her hands on his shoulders. She could feel him tense with anger and hatred, but he softened as his facade of hate towards her love dissolved. He finally let her fill the cracks in his yearning heart and mend him. It was her way of saying "I'm sorry."

She walked around and looked towards him "I believe staring at the back of your head was a improper form of communication." She looked no less beautiful than the day she was conceived as the conscious brainchild of the universe. He forgot how much he had loved the way her chocolatey skin complimented the dark void of the heavens. She literally was his universe as that was who had conceived her, but who had conceived him? All Mephistopheles could remember was the dark void of nothingness and loneliness which in needing to one up the other one created what he could only suppose to be himself.

Providence smiled. She had forgotten how she had loved the mysterious unknown and all the mystique that came with it. It would be and was the reason she loved him. He was her sentient embodiment of all she found mystery in. But in the end, they split. There love and differences of being the face of what would become good and evil, got in the way of the bigger tasks they were faced with. Like creating humanity.

"Meph, you never told me why you came." Providence probed. "I needed your help." He responded. "Well let's not have it go the same way it did when we tried creating humans." She let out a breathy titter and smiled. "You think I would really do that after waiting for so long to join you again? Please! So how can I be of assistance?"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:  
And he told her. About how she and him together had both conjured a mistake from past and present errors. She provided the senseless, love blinded, gibbering wreck and he and his unfocused idiots mixed up its paperwork. "So all in all your saying that Sherwin Payne shouldn't be in hell?" "Well with his sickly sweet aura we wouldn't want him there corrupting satan or lucifer or anyone else for that matter." "Well don't ask me to take him! He's been down there with you and probably been corrupted." She complained bitterly. "As of now I have him out of my way with a deamonary position, but even that's not going too smoothly." "Why in over an infinity of eons would it not go smoothly?" Providence probed.

"Well as it is we are tripply screwed. He fell in love with the guy he was assigned to and You know how it is. When you're tasked with killing someone for their soul you practically contracted to it." "Even more reason I shouldn't take him." He groaned low in his throat. "Well don't do this to me!" Mephistopheles retorted. He backed off defensively."He's your problem. Your mistake decided to bite both of us in the ass and drag me down with you." "Both of us! So its all my fault? Just remember _you_ weren't checking on his paperwork and let your senseless cronies screw it up. Oh and the cherry on top?! You gave him a demonary position and he just had to fall in love."

"It wasn't my fault he fell in-" love! That was it! If Shewin's love was strong enough to bring the both of them back together then certainly it would be enough to fix the situation right? He had just been to hard on him. "Love! That's it! Oh Prov your a genius." Her face twisted inquisitively "I think I have a compromise. All we need is love. Just let it do the work for us. Then once he's killed the guy we can send them both to-"" he paused and internally deflated. He had not totally fleshed it out. Providence thought for a minute An idea flashed in her mind "Send em to limbo."

Not that! He had wanted to forget about that failed project where he put the souls unfit for heaven, hell, or purgatory and turned them into ghosts to wander the earth. It was the one mistake he had truly made that was something he wanted to bury forever. It felt wrong to dredge up the idea of this crippled brainchild of his. But even through its failure it still seemed to hold a purpose. About now it seemed like the only option left. So reluctantly he agreed.

Mephistopheles took her hand leading her through the open void of starlight and space as they floated "You know what my biggest mistake was?" "No? What was it?" Providence asked intrigued "Losing you." Providence laughed. It echoed around the void. Mephistopheles had forgotten how much he loved her laugh. For him it was her simple little quirks that delighted him. "I knew you would say something corny like that Meph." And they were so close. There noses brushed against each other sending a ethereal tingle through them.

Finally he could love again.


	9. Epilogue

Epilogue:  
When Jonathan awoke he could feel a difference inside of him. The gripping hold the dark void of depression had was gone, but he still felt something niggling inside of him. It was more like a longing, a longing for love, a longing for...Sherwin. He loved him to almost the point of death, and he knew someday he would die for him, but it was alright because they would be together forever even after the end.

And well Sherwin? He felt it too. He didn't feel obligated to practically torment him to his grave, but instead kew Jonathan would do anything for him. Even die for him, because only a love this strong could make someone as cold as Mephistopheles revisit the idea of second chances. Sherwin took his hand "I love you Jonathan." and Jonathan smiled. In that moment it felt right to acknowledge the utterly simple truth that they would live on together.

The end


End file.
